Glass-covered instrument board for motor vehicles



` sem. 11,192.3. i 11,467.63@

W. P. HAMMOND GLASS COVERED INSTRUMENT BOARD FOR MOTOR VEHICLES Filed May 26. 1921 llhI HH 5 Imm A TTOR/VEYS 'Patented Sept. 1l, 1923.

unirse stares serena certes.

WILLIAM RHAMMOND, or GLAss-covi-:RED INSTRUMENT Application filed May 26,

To f// wlmi/1, it may conce/'11.'

Be it known `that 1. ll'iLLrvu l. HAM- MoNn. a citizen of the United States. residing in Maplewood, county of Orange. and State of'New Jersey. have invented certain newand useful lmprovements in Glass-Covered"lnstrument lloards for Motor Vehicles, ot' which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates more particularly to improvements in glass covered instrument boards for use on motor vehicles and *is an improvement upon the structure illustrated and described in United States Letters Patent No. 1,296,182, granted to me on March 4th, 1919.

ln that patent, l have illustrated an instrument board in which all the measuring and indicating instruments are covered by a single sheet ot' glass or any other translmrent material, vin thev stead or place ot' inde-v pendent crystals or glasses by which the various instruments are. ordinarily protected.

My present invention eomprehends the provision of illuminating means for the instruments in an instrument assembly of the characterreferred to. I propose to conceal the clectrirl lamp or lamps and position them in such a wa.' as to be Shielded from direct observation while the emitted light will be directed over the faces ofthe various instruments so to make them readily readable. 1n a preferable construction l position the covering sheet of glass spaced from the faces of the instruments thus allowing for the interposition of suitable electric lamps to afford the required illumination. The lamps are preferably positioned between the instruments and in order to conceal them from direct observation and prevent them from shining in the eyes of the driver l renden` opatpie. said covering sheet of elass except those portions opposite the faces of the instruments and through which the \v can be observed. 1n this manner the light is distributed or diffused over the faces of all of the instruments in a suitable and satisfactory manner.

The invention obviates the use of dash lamps which are commonly employed for illuminating the faces of the instruments, which dash lamps protrude from the face ofthe instrument board and are apt to be in the wav.

'With these and other objects in view. l will proceed to describe one preferable em- MAPLEWOOD, NEW JERSEY.

BOARD FOR MOTOR VEHICLES.

1921. Serial No. 472,816.

bodimentI of. the principles of my invention, reference being had to the accompanying sheet of drawing, forming a part thereof.

Figure 1 is a front plan view in fragmentary detail of a conventional automobile dash board embodying the principles of my invention.

Figure Q is a transverse sectional view, taken on line 2-2 of Figure l.

Figure 3 is a similar view of Figure 2, illustrating a modification.

Figure t is a transverse sectional fragmentary detail of a still further modification.

ln detail, 1 indicates a dash board of a motor vehicle` upon which is detachably mounted an instrument board 2. having removabl mounted and supported thereon, a series of indicating and registering instruments 3 and one or more electric lamps 4. The instrument board :2 is fastened to the dash board 1. through an aperture 5 therein. in such a way that the fares of all of the instruments may be. observed through said aperture. At the opposite side of the dash board l. to which the instrument board f2 iS fastened, is a em'ering plate G, mounted in a suitable frame 7, removably supported upon the dash board.

This covering plate G in the form illustrated-in Figures 1 and 2, comprises a glass plate extending across the faces of all of the instruments. The glass plate is rendered opaque, as for instance loyifrosting` excepting at points immediately opposite the faces of the instruments. at which points the glass remains clear and transparent. so that the instruments can be readil)7 observed therethrough.

This ma. \v be accomplished b v putting a coating 8 directly upon the glass or by inlserting a sheet of opaque material provided l:wlth openings 9. corresponding 1n diameter to the instrument faces and clamping it in position between the glass plate and the 'frame holding it. or by any other suitable i means. wherebv the light rays of the lamps 4 will be deflected and dil'used over the faces of the instruments, so that the same will be thrown into relief and will be readily observable through the windows. In order t0 increase the light or illumination Within the instrument compartment, the undersurfaee ot' the covering plate may be enamelled white or a mirror-like reflecting surface could readily be provided.

Referring to Figure 3, wherein I have illustrated a modification of the idea, the covering plate 10 is made of sheet metal havinzgY apertures corresponding in diameter' to the faces otI the instruments, which apertures are covered by transparent discs or plates 1 1, these being held in position by retaining'r lugs or fasteners 12, or I may mount the glass plate ll in sueli a way as to be flush with the n'ietal covering plate 10. as shown in Figure 4. in which event suitable ring-like retaining members 13 are soldered to the metal covering: plate l0, the latter being provided to hold the transparenees l1 in proper position. In this form, the transparencies covering the apertures in the plate are substantially flush with the plate itself.

Obviously, some of the advantages ot my invention can be attained by employing an opaque sheet ot material provided with openings unprotected by transparencies; that is to say, the indirect lighting or illuminating of the faces of the instruments is not dependent npon covering the openings in the. plate. Therefore, where I` use the word Window in the appended claims, I desire to be understood as including such an un-` covered or unprotected opening in my invention as defined.

While. I have illustrated yand described cer- Leonesa tain preferable. embodimentsothe principles of the invention, I have donc so by way ot' example only. desiring it to be un derstood that I do not wish tolirnit myself to the structural details shown and described, Iand reserve` therefore, un'tomysell' such changes in construction as come within the scope and tenor of the following-claims. Having thus described my invention, I claim:

, l. In combination with an instrument board for motoi` vehicles, provided with 'a series ot' instruments` a sinfrlesheetiot glass plate extending across the ta'ces of the in struments, said glass plate being'lrendered TILLIAM I?. HAMMOND. 

